FDOT is reviewing its five-year work program plan for district seven, which includes the Tampa Bay area. (You can access it at the FDOT website here) As part of that process, they want your input. (You can access the comment page here) That is a good thing, because the five year-plan still seems to include all of TBX, including the Howard Frankland bridge widening, even though supposedly no one now knows exactly what that will actually entail (though express lanes may come back to the bridge plan. See here and here) In fact, and once again contrary to what local officials and TBX boosters said about TBX being an all or nothing, set-in-stone plan,

And a good way to do that is by getting public input. Though it is hard to comment on something when even FDOT does not seem to know what the plan is. But setting that aside, when is the comment period?

It might surprise FDOT to learn that the middle/end of December involves a major holiday this year. We know that such disruption is a rare occurrence in mid/late December.

Anyway, we welcome openness on FDOT’s part (if there is really new openness), but a good way to start to show that you want the public to not just be quiet but actually have real input is to not put the comment period about some ambiguous project over Christmas.

We need highway improvements. We do not need the full TBX. We are all for working with FDOT to get a good project, which is not what TBX is right now, where it bulldozes neighborhoods and has express lanes built to limit capacity. (Plus no real transit)

And, notice the 2-3 year timeline for figuring out the highway plan would also include the conclusion of the transit study. So let’s see what that tells us before we set some plan in stone. Because, as the former FDOT leader said last week, notably after he left office, even as he was supporting big roads and private rail systems:

Setting aside that, far from having a problem of no privatization, FDOT’s model is not delivering the desired results to a large degree because FDOT is focused on express lanes and not really behind real transit (though don’t forget all the local issues), even someone with his attitude knows we need rail. So why plan for just roads before knowing about transit when transit is being studied? We need a coordinated, synchronized transportation system. To get that, we need a coordinated, synchronized, systematic planning process. It still does not seem we are there.

Yes, they could expand and improve their suburban location. They probably will.

The decision to stay in an office park is disappointing but not surprising. When Tampa is viewed as mostly a location of back office (or mostly customer service) operations the biggest benefit of which is saving costs (land is cheaper, taxes are cheaper, and employee costs are cheaper), it is more likely that companies will look to lower cost option for space (yes, buying it is not cheap but that gives them equity and the ability to expand) than new downtown construction. While it may not be universally the case, it has to be kept in mind.

Transportation – Will the PTC Finally Go Away?

There was news from Tallahassee about another move to abolish the PTC.

As we said last week, we want the Port to thrive. It is very important to this area’s economy and future. And we are all for actively competing – because that is the only way to thrive. On the other hand, none of the Times’ observations are inaccurate.

So, can the Port thrive? Yes. Can it succeed in its plans? Possibly. But it will take a lot of work and some luck. And we think it should not be focusing on real estate, especially with so many other real estate proposals for the area around downtown. Speaking of which,

Let the Lightning owner build his project, then see what demand there is. If the Lightning owner’s plan is successful, the Port’s land will become ever more valuable and the optimal uses of the land may change. If the Lightning owner’s project is not successful (God forbid) or not quite a huge hit, building on the Port land at the same time will just be harmful. Regardless, there is no reason not to wait.

In the meantime, the Port should focus on its core business. There is a lot of competition among ports and a long way to go to reach the actual port part of the Port’s plan. (Maybe get a ship for which the new cranes are useful.) The Port is very important, and much more as a port than as a developer.

Port Tampa Bay (with Port Manatee) has a major issue with both the biggest cargo and cruise ships because of the skyway’s height (too short) and the depth of the channel (too shallow). The Port’s Vision 2030 plan calls for someday dredging the main channel to 50 feet (which should be deep enough) but nothing regarding the Skyway. (see here and here)

This is absolutely the highest and best use? A “signature” building – which was the stated intent – rather than a boxy building (that will be much shorter than the neighboring SunTrust building and One Tampa City Center, which were conveniently not included in the rendering – really, from the building around the proposal in the rendering, we have no idea what they used as background) that presents blank walls (in the rendering the blank wall towards the back appears to go up 13 stories, which would be remarkable) or unornamented parking garages – might be higher or better. It’s not that we don’t like the idea of putting a mixed use building on the lot. We do. (And we don’t really even care about private buildings on private land in the 20 story range. But this is selling public property.)

We just don’t really like this building on this lot, and we don’t see why the City would sell land in valuable location when there are all sorts of lots around downtown that could be developed (and are planned to be developed) like this – including one across the street that is basically just a surface parking lot with a smallish office build that has no historic value.

— One More Thing

We are not surprised that a prime lot would draw a big price. However, there was this:

In other words, the lot did not sell for $7.5 million in today’s dollars. Everyone knows that by waiting to pay off 40% of the price for 10 years or when the developer cashes in on a sale, the actual value of the sale price in decreases. We are not going to try to figure out what the discount to the developer is, but it is likely not small. What is the logic of that?

History Center – It’s a Pirate’s Life

We like the Tampa Bay History Center. It is a nice building in a nice location with some good exhibits, though some are a bit more like scrapbooks than full exhibits. Now, they are looking to add more.

Setting aside that this is not really a novel observation in our area, there are a few things going on here. First, obviously, is economic and related issues associated with having a lower income. Setting that aside for purposes of this discussion, second is poor transit service. That is a function of the mentality that transit is just for people without much money – those “other people.” As long as that attitude holds, transit will be underfunded. When you design transit for the choice riders as well as those who need it, those who need it benefit.

The last thing is the lack of walking infrastructure in this area. Not only are there sidewalks to nowhere (or, due to the sprawl, essentially nowhere) and development patterns that make walking really unpleasant even if there are sidewalks. And there are many areas without sidewalks. Amazingly, there are even nice neighborhoods in South Tampa near that main walking spot Bayshore that lack sidewalks. (see here and here between MacDill and Bayshore), in addition to East Tampa, see here and here)

The last two issues are matters of choice. They could be, and should be, changed for the benefit not only of low-income residents, but everyone. If you want to be a city, act like a city.

Hyde Park – No Thanks

A while back there as an announcement about a proposal for the last parcel in the Crescent Bayshore project. The proposal was pretty average. Then there was news that the some neighbors objected that their views would be damaged. Well,

An ALF? We assume that is more a statement to be careful what you oppose, especially since the lot was quickly snapped up by some local hoteliers (though you never know). Anyway, we shall see.

One thing we do know is that people who bought in nearby buildings should have no expectation of that whatever is built on Bayshore will not be in their views. They knew they were buying in the middle of town on a street with a number of high-rise buildings. It was foreseeable that another one might get built. Caveat emptor.

Downtown – Straz Squeeze

As downtown develops, some parking lots are going to go away. That is what happens in cities. That is why planning and transit are important for cities. To wit:

Some congestion is to be expected. On the other hand, the relatively routine congestion on the west side of downtown (not just around the Straz), which is welcome in the sense it shows people want to go downtown, is also predictable (And we still wonder why some parking spaces seemed to disappear. like these) We are not sure why there wasn’t a plan to deal with it.

As for the Straz specifically, it sits next to a surface parking lot. Maybe, they should consider buying it and building a garage should or coming up with some other deal with the landowner. Given the location of the Straz and the lack of transit, we doubt the parking issue is going to go away anytime soon.

Meanwhile, In the Rest of the State

— Orlando

There was a series in the Orlando Sentinel about Orlando in 2030. Predictions are always a little risky, but whatever. There was one about their airport (international traffic will be up 315% they say – strangely specific number, but could be) ; another about SunRail (either make it more frequent and useful or it might go away – reasonable analysis) ; and one about I-4, which was our favorite:

The magic of express lanes will fix it all, even though the population will keep growing and the highway will not be expanded anymore. Sure.

At least FDOT admitted that TBX will not really fix congestion.

— How About Us?

Now that there is an agreement with Uber and Lyft in Hillsborough County, and with last week’s hyped announcement of funding for a Federal tech training program and all the talk about start-ups, this caught our eye:

You can read the article here for more details. It would be nice if we also had such a program. The more people who are trained, the better.

— Speaking of Startups

There was also an interesting article in the Miami Herald about the challenges faced by start-ups in South Florida. The seven top challenges are: money, talent, incomplete tech ecosystem, research university system, managing rapid growth, and competition from large companies. (You can read the article here.) It is interesting to read about the start-up problems in other areas and how they, to a large degree, mirror our own.

— Broward Keeps Moving Forward

As everyone knows, there was a transit referendum (with a bad plan) in Hillsborough that lost in 2010. The local leaders then took years to get around to doing anything other than making pronouncements about how transportation is so important. When they finally set up the TED/PLC/Go Hillsborough process, it was full of posturing, backtracking, consultants, and political intrigue that eventually produced a not very good plan that never made it to the ballot. In the meantime, Pinellas rejected Greenlight Pinellas. We have no idea if they are doing anything there.

With that as a backstory, as we noted in November, Broward rejected a transportation tax, sort of. Actually Broward passed it, but the weird structure of the plan required it to pass in cities, which it failed to do. What did Broward do?